You are here

How Valuable Are Fossilized Mammoth Bones To the National Park System?

Share

Today's African and Indian elephants would have been dwarfed by the Columbian mammoth. Illustration by Pat Ortega, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

There are national parks that focus on geology, that provide windows into ancient civilizations, and which honor westward expansion. So should one that preserves fossilized mammoth bones be added to the mix?

It's a question that seemingly has been answered, as the Interior Department has given U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, to introduce legislation that would turn a 68,000-year-old mammoth bone yard into a unit of the National Park System.

The Columbian mammoths, about two dozen in all, were killed by a mudslide near present-day Waco, Texas. Thus the site is known as the "Waco Mammoth Site." Their fossilized bones were discovered in 1978.

But is this site unique enough to be added to the National Park System, which already is struggled to adequately care for the 391 units it already has?

The Columbian mammoth is the state fossil of Washington state, their remains are said to be quite common in Mexico, and there's already a National Natural Landmark in South Dakota known as The Mammoth Site that offers the "largest mammoth research facility" in the world, as well as an active dig site that visitors can experience.

If the Waco site is worthy, what about having the U.S. Bureau of Land Management turn over to the National Park Service the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in Utah, where you can find "the densest concentration of Jurassic-aged dinosaur bones ever found. The deposit is also the largest collection of a large meat-eating dinosaur (allosaurus fragilis) ever found."

And surely the significance of both Mount Vernon and Monticello justify their addition to the National Park System, which already can count the homes of Lincoln and Roosevelt, as well as the summer camp of President Herbert Hoover.

Comments

This would only be appropriate in the National Park system if there were very unique geological characteristics associated with the site. Simply because there are a lot of fossils here - and they are apparantly readily accessable - is not sufficient reason. There are lots and lots of places around the country with fossils of all types. If we accept a national park for mammoth fossils, then I can see dozens of other sites that should also be national parks because they have fossils of other types of extinct animals/reptiles/etc. Let's not saddle the National Park system with another unfunded mandate.


"But is this site unique enough to be added to the National Park System...?"

The career professionals at the National Park Service have apparently answered "yes" to this question, and a quick read of their Final Report makes it clear why. The report can be accessed here:
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=442&projectId=12000&docu...

Here is a key passage from the executive summary:
"The combination of both in situ articulated skeletal remains and the excavated specimens from the site represents the nation’s first and only recorded discovery of a nursery herd of Pleistocene mammoths. The
resource possesses exceptional interpretive value and provides superlative opportunities for visitor enjoyment and scientific study."

The Special Resource Study goes on to evaluate a number of management alternatives, including a non-NPS alternative, but concludes that the current lack of resources to accommodate visitation is insufficient for a site of such prominent National significance. This would be an important distinction for this site from places like Monticello and Mount Vernon that have well-developed visitor resources.


Because the park service has managed the resources at DINO so well, getting rid of 2 of the 3 paleontologist and not fixing or taking care of the quarry building in a timely fashion. I think giving the NPS Cleveland-Lloyd would be a horrible idea.


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.